Uruguay issues travel warning after US mass shootings

MONTEVIDEO - Mass shootings in the United States over the weekend led Uruguay's government to issue a travel warning to its citizens on Monday.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry cautioned parents in particular about the potential dangers to children, given the rise in "indiscriminate violence, mostly due to hate crimes".

Gun violence in the United States has taken "the life of more than 250 people in the first seven months of this year," the ministry said in a statement.

"Since it has been impossible for the (US) authorities to prevent these situations due, among other things, to the public's indiscriminate possession of fire arms, we especially recommend avoiding places where crowds gather," the ministry said.

The administration of President Tabare Vazquez provided a list of places or events deemed to be of high risk, including theme parks, shopping centers, arts fairs, religious activities, culinary festivals and other types of crowded cultural or sporting events.

"In particular, we recommend not attending these places with children," the ministry warned, adding travelers should also avoid the 20 most crime-ridden cities in the United States, such as Baltimore, Maryland and Detroit, Michigan.

Mass shootings in El Paso, Texas on Saturday and in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday have claimed the lives of more than 30 people and left approximately 50 people injured.

On Friday, the US Department of State raised its travel alert for American citizens traveling to Uruguay, from level 1 to level 2, citing high crime.